Swiss watchmaker Breitling has been collaborating with British marque Bentley for a dozen years now, and during this time, the watch brand has constantly supported Bentley’s efforts on and off the racetrack. The duo famously paired up with David Beckham for a suave campaign that was probably one of the most popular ever made for a watch firm.
Last year, Bentley returned to the racing arena properly in a Continental GT3, and this year, the Racing Team Absolute decided to participate in the GT Asia competition with 3 cars. Starting in South Korea, the 6-person team of 3 professional drivers and 3 amateur (though they’re really more semi-pros) are making their way around the Asian continent competing in endurance races designed to test the limits of these machines.
AUGUSTMAN along with 14 A-Listers made our way up to the Sepang race track where we met with the Bentley Team Absolute drivers (Andy Meyrick, Jeffrey Lee, Adderly Fong, Keita Sawa, Duncan Tappy and Jacky Yeung) and had a tête-à-tête with them along with other Bentley aficionados and racing fans. Prior to the race, the British drivers had concerns about the heat affecting their performance as they were not used to the temperature, but halfway through the competition, as the rain poured down, they had other concerns about vehicular control.
The teams came in 2nd, 6th and 9th respectively, as we watched from the Bentley hospitality suite. Keita Sawa and Adderly Fong’s car came in second place and Bentley secured the lead in the team competition, while the two gents took to the podium.
Meanwhile, AUGUSTMAN and Breitling organised our own mini non-professional league at the adjacent Sepang Go Kart racetrack, which mirrored the Sepang track. The 125cc karts didn’t quite hit the 270kmh rates on the track, but certainly felt like they were flying off the roads. With several amateur karting champions hidden in our racing teams, the competition was very real.
The winning team consisted of ex-karting champion Jody Chapman, along with Bu Shukun and Michael Wrigley. The three won for themselves a Breitling weekender, as well as other prizes from us.
More importantly, we had some time with Alexander Melchers, general manager of Melchers Time which distributes Breitling in the region, as well as Alvin Soon, the newly appointed general manager of the brand in Southeast Asia. The two, along with marketing manager Daphne Foo, explained Breitling’s long standing partnership with Bentley and its deep involvement with aviation, as well as the unique position of the independent watch company in Swiss watchmaking over dinner at Kampachi paired with fine Japanese whiskies.
Soon pointed out that “since 1884, the meaning of Breitling’s slogan ‘Instrument for Professionals’ is to combine precision and functionality in a strong design. It is the obsession for perfection in the brand’s DNA where we invest very heavily in some of the best and most advanced machines to ensure that our watchmakers have the best to work on, with zero compromise in quality control. Our watches are 100% chronometer-certified by the C.O.S.C which explains the precision and reliability of the watch on the wrist of every Breitling owner.”
Day 1 of The A-LIST and Breitling at Sepang
Check out the galleries of the images throughout the two day period, and don’t miss the exciting highlights of the upcoming video we’ve created for the event!
Day 2 of The A-LIST and Breitling at Sepang